


Build it bigger than the sun

by minkhollow



Series: protag!Kanji [4]
Category: Persona 4
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Social Links, protag!swap
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-03
Updated: 2015-02-03
Packaged: 2018-03-10 07:17:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3281696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/minkhollow/pseuds/minkhollow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>> You are waiting for Naoto to recover.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Build it bigger than the sun

**Author's Note:**

> The second bit of this one is the same day as Carving Out Our Names. Social link rundown as they currently stand at the end.

“…So Naoto-kun was a girl,” Chie-senpai says, and that finally shakes Kanji out of his thoughts. This whole thing’s been – well. It’s been something, that’s for sure. After getting one of his oldest friends in hot water and rescuing another one (hopefully he can call Yukiko-senpai a friend again, sometime, but they still have a ways to go there), he had to rescue his newest friend.

If he can even call Naoto that. Naoto’s… well, Naoto’s just magnetic, that’s all there is to it, and he wants to spend more time around the kid, and he doesn’t know what that means, and if Naoki keeps callin’ it a crush Kanji might have to deck him (or just bust out one of his ice Personas and knock him on his ass).

Anyway, Naoto needed rescuing, and he had to talk to _Dojima-san_ to get enough for Teddie to work with – kid’s only been in town a couple weeks, after all, and it turned out he’s barely left the police station other than talking to Kanji.

She’s barely left the police station, he guesses. Naoto’s been hung up on the case, and – well, if the Shadow’s anything to go on, and so far they have been, really fuckin’ lonely. Kanji knows that feeling.

He sighs. “Rule 5, guys. When we get outta here, keep your mouths shut.”

Naoki nods. “I was going to suggest that if you didn’t.”

“But she—”

“Chie,” Yukiko-senpai says, “I think this is four more people than Naoto-kun wanted to know the whole story. If rumors start spreading after this, they start spreading, but we don’t have to help them along by talking about it in the middle of Junes.”

“I count five of us,” Teddie says.

“But you can’t leave the TV, so you won’t be there to talk about it.”

Naoto finally wakes up, so they drop the conversation – there’s still the last part of dealing with Naoto’s Shadow, after all, and only one person there who can do that. (“An inherited occupation can be stifling to some,” Naoto says; Yukiko-senpai looks away, and Naoki snorts, but no one interrupts.)

Naoto barely stays upright from there, out of the lab and out of the TV, and collapses the second they’re in Junes. Yukiko-senpai immediately steps over to help Naoto up. “Come on, Naoto-kun. Chie and I will help you get home.”

Even as Chie-senpai moves to Naoto’s other side, Naoto tries to protest. “No, I… I’ll be fine.”

“Not wobblin’ like that you won’t,” Kanji says. “Now ain’t the time to be a hero. Let ‘em help, go home, get some rest. We’ll go over everything when you’re not exhausted.”

“I’m not the hero here,” Naoto says, looking right at Kanji and – is that a smile? For him? “That would be you.”

“Um. I. Well.” Great, now Kanji feels like an idiot on top of everything else. He just hopes he’s not blushing as furiously as it feels like he is – and he doesn’t dare look at Naoki. He’d probably have to knock the smirk right off his face, and he’s _trying_ not to end up arrested here.

Chie-senpai rolls her eyes and maneuvers Naoto’s arm across her shoulders. “Even so, Naoto-kun. Let’s get you home – this stuff’s exhausting, Yukiko was out of commission for close to a week.”

“A week! We don’t have a week! The perpetrator could…”

Naoto’s protests die off as the girls lead the kid away, and Kanji sighs. “Well, thank god that’s over.”

“No kidding,” Naoki says. “Probably too much to hope we’re done, but you can stop panicking now.”

Kanji doesn’t even try to say he wasn’t panicking. For the first time since the Midnight Channel picked up Naoto’s silhouette, he feels like he can breathe.

***

The next day – after getting chewed out by the guidance counselor for a much better reason than falling asleep on King Moron’s watch, Kanji thinks – he has to help out in the shop. It ain’t so bad, really, and at least he doesn’t have rescuing Naoto hanging over his head.

Golden Week was busier; he almost misses the rush. It was too busy for him to want to start knitting in the lulls. But he can’t bring himself to go get his knitting shit yet. You’d think someone who’s beat the hell out of a bunch of monsters wouldn’t be so afraid of knitting in public, but there you go.

“Kanji-kun?”

He startles out of his thoughts, only to find Yukiko-senpai at the door, in her inn kimono; her parents must’ve sent her to pick up the order. “Oh, hey. Be right back with your stuff.”

It doesn’t take him long to find it, and they’ve already paid for everything, but there’s a lot of it, so he ends up calling his ma to the front and helping Yukiko-senpai walk it back to the inn. It’s unbearably awkward for the first few minutes – but then, he can’t think of the last time he just sat and talked to a girl about something other than training, and he can’t remember the last time Yukiko-senpai talked to a guy without Chie-senpai interrupting it.

“How’s Naoto?” he finally blurts out, but it’s as good an opener as any, and Yukiko-senpai takes it.

“Fast asleep by the time we left her apartment. Chie said she’d stop by with some takeout after classes today.”

Kanji frowns. “Apartment? Coulda sworn Naoto mentioned family in the area.”

“The Shirogane estate’s kind of out of the way, and it’s possible she didn’t think she would be here long. We didn’t really get a chance to ask.”

It’s all he can do not to deflate. Of course Naoto wouldn’t have wanted to stick around Inaba for long; who would, if they were used to living alone in Tokyo? But maybe now that the case is personal… well, he can let himself hope, right? “Yeah, fair. I’m just glad we got Naoto outta there.”

Yukiko-senpai nods. “I’m glad I could help. I… I really hated how powerless I felt when you came after me, so getting to turn that on its head was good.”

“‘course. Man, remind me not to piss you off, Senpai, you’re scary when you get going.”

She giggles, but fortunately, it doesn’t turn into the full-on hyena laugh she busted out in the TV over the mustache glasses. If it did, she’d probably drop all the stuff she’s carrying, and Kanji sure as hell can’t catch it. “It’s been a long time since we talked like this. I missed it.”

That stops Kanji in his tracks for a second. She actually missed talking to him? But there’s really only one thing he can think to say to that – the truth. “So did I. What the hell happened there, anyway?”

“You got scary, I forgot boys are also people, and as busy as the inn’s been lately…” A dark look crosses Yukiko-senpai’s face but it doesn’t stay for long. “That and we were in different schools for a while.”

“True. Hey, if you ever need to rant about the crappy customers and shit, let loose at me. I get it.” There’s plenty of times Kanji wants to rip into ‘em himself, and sometimes he does. Difference being he can get away with it, sort of – people expect that kind of shit from him, so they don’t push back as hard as they would with someone in the inn’s position.

“I’ll take you up on that sometime.” She smiles, and it feels like time stops – not the first time Kanji’s experienced that since all this started (that was when Naoki asked him what they were gonna do now).

He’s really gotta find someone who can explain how all this tarot shit works, because he ain’t following how Yukiko-senpai’s supposed to be any kind of priestess.

When he gets home, his ma’s closed the shop for the day and started making dinner. It smells delicious, even if there’s gonna be way more than the two of them could possibly eat by themselves (he has no idea why she keeps doing that). It’s a typical evening in the house.

At least, it is until dinner’s mostly over and she says, “The guidance counselor called this afternoon.”

Dammit. Kanji sighs, but he doesn’t try to talk his way out of it, not after he went to the trouble of earning the lecture. “Yeah, so?”

“I know you’ve never really liked school, dear, but you could at least try to do it properly. I don’t expect you to apply to college – you’d hate that even more, and you don’t need it. But finishing high school will help you later.”

“Don’t see how. There’s only one teacher worth a damn in the place.”

“I’m sure you’re learning more than you think, Kan-chan.”

Kanji bristles as soon as the nickname leaves her mouth – it doesn’t matter that it’s his mother, he can’t help it. “Don’t _call_ me that.”

His ma just looks at him. It’s not a glare. If anything, it’s worse, skirting close to the couple of times he saw her crying after Dad died.

“You’re not the only one who misses him, dear,” she says, and time stops for the third time that day.

***

Seems like Kanji spends half his lunch periods in the practice building these days. Whatever else can be said about Yasogami, and that ain’t much, it at least actually has a sewing club. Now if he could just bring himself to go in…

“They won’t bite,” Naoki says from right behind him, about making him jump out of his skin. “At least, I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t. But what do I know? Those sewing needles can be vicious.”

“Shut up, man. What do you want?”

“Has anyone claimed your afternoon yet? We just finished inventory, and I’ve seen more than enough liquor to last me the next month, especially when I can’t drink any of it.”

Kanji snorts; it probably wouldn’t be that hard for Naoki to sneak himself a bottle if he really wanted, and they both know it. “I can probably swing it. I’ll let you know after class.”

“All right. Don’t worry about it if you can’t.” Naoki heads off, but before Kanji can turn back around, Chie-senpai comes down the stairs.

“Oh, there you are! What’re you doing over here? I didn’t think you were in any clubs.”

Kanji glares at her, trying not to blush. “I’m not.” He’ll have to make up his mind fast – if he can’t actually get his ass in the door by summer finals, he’s blown it until next school year. But it’s not that easy, especially when it was school that left him in such a mess about sewing in the first place.

“That’s actually what I wanted to ask you about. One of my friends on the basketball team’s worried they won’t be able to keep up their… clubship, I guess?” Chie-senpai shrugs. “Anyway, I told Kou-kun I’d ask around, and if you have time I can get you in on it.”

“I look like a sports guy to you, Senpai? I’ll think about it.”

“That’s all I can ask. Thanks!”

After Chie-senpai leaves, no one else comes by to interrupt. Kanji decides, in the middle of Nakayama droning on about her marriage and only pausing long enough to say something about the area of a triangle (and even that’s not news to him; he learned it in the shop), that Naoki probably needs his time more.

They’re most of the way to Aiya when a passing housewife decides it’s both the perfect time and her business to lecture Naoki about how he’s spending his time in this Time Of Crisis. Naoki’s face tightens, but he doesn’t say anything – just as well, considering the position the liquor shop’s in, but if he’s not gonna say it for himself, Kanji has no problem saying it for him.

“Look, lady, how Naoki spends his time is none’a your goddamn business. If his parents wanted him home that bad, they’d say so.” He doesn’t mention that _he’s_ really the only person who expects Naoki to show up when he says he will, lately – even school doesn’t seem to give a shit, and the Student Health Association’s shutting him out by being so ‘understanding’ of the ‘demands’ on his time. “Butt out, will ya?”

The housewife sniffs, and glares at Kanji. “Well, I never! Don’t expect to see me in your shop any time soon, young man.”

“You’ve never been there before anyway. We won’t miss you.”

The housewife stalks off (in the direction of Junes, Kanji can’t help noticing), and Naoki lets out a sigh. “Thanks.”

“Any time, man. I mean, hell, if people expect that kinda shit from me I might as well help out my friends with it, right?”

“I really wish I could say it myself. But we can’t afford to die out any faster than Junes is already pushing it, so…” Naoki shrugs.

Kanji doesn’t ask how Naoki can be so sure the store’s doomed. Junes’s liquor stock has them beat on variety alone, and he’s never wanted the store for himself. Saki-senpai didn’t either, for that matter – she was more interested in getting the hell out of town, from what Kanji saw of her. Still, it sucks to see him giving up without even trying.

“We’re all crap at dealing with change,” Naoki says. “Dad never took Grandpa off the cash register access, actually, and he’s been dead since I was in elementary school. They won’t talk about Sis, and I don’t know how to start. It just feels like she never came back from Kyoto, you know?”

“Even they can’t pretend forever,” Kanji says. “But don’t worry about startin’ the conversation. Either they will, or you’ll know the right time when it happens. It doesn’t have t’be now. Come on, let’s eat.”

“I’m not really hungry anymore.”

“Bullshit, you’re a teenage guy. Even if you’re still not tastin’ it, you need to eat some damn dinner.”

Naoki snorts, almost smiling again, and Kanji chalks it up as a win.

***

On Friday, he has nothing to do.

Naoki and Yukiko-senpai both have to go home and work, but Kanji doesn’t. Even if it wasn’t raining – according to the weather girl on the roof, it won’t last past evening, but it’s still raining _now_ – the sports clubs aren’t practicing, so he can’t find out what Chie-senpai’s friend wanted, and Chie-senpai herself isn’t so nuts as to want to train outside in this shit.

He’s on his way to the side stairs after checking 2-2 (maybe Ebihara’ll want to do something again) when he nearly bowls over Sofue-sensei. “Crap, sorry.”

“Quite all right, Tatsumi-kun. I was actually hoping to have a word with you.”

“You… were?” Oh, shit, he’s in it now. It’s pretty much never a good thing when a teacher wants ‘a word,’ even if this is the only teacher at Yasogami he actually respects.

Sofue-sensei nods. “I couldn’t help noticing your midterm results. It struck me as a bit incongruous, after you did so well on mine, to see you so far down in the overall rank.”

Kanji blinks. Did she just say he did _well_ on a _test_? “I, uh. School really ain’t my thing. Especially tests.”

“Nonsense, Tatsumi-kun. You’re one of the youngest members of your class – we could have told you to try again next year without you losing out on much. You got in here on your own right, and you’re more than capable of holding your own if you apply yourself. I’d like to help you with that.”

“You… you would?” God, he sounds like an idiot. He just hopes this doesn’t make her reconsider; it’d be nice not getting disappointed looks from his ma after the next exams. It’d be nice not to have to go to summer school. It’d be nice to have someone in this building give a shit.

It’d almost even be nice to feel smart for a change.

“I have every confidence that, with proper tuition, you can pass all of your classes at the end of this term. This will take up some of your afternoons, of course, but I wouldn’t ask you to give up your Sundays or holidays for it. Do well, and I will give you another artifact from my collection.”

“Oh, like you did for the pole?”

Sofue-sensei smiles. “Precisely. But I don’t need new dowsing rods that often, and you need the help. Shall we see to it that you avoid summer school this year?”

Kanji hesitates for a second, but only a second – she didn’t reconsider, she wants to help him, and actually having all of his summer to himself sounds great. So he nods. “Let’s try, anyway.”

***

Kanji’s on his way home from a trip to Junes for his ma on Sunday when the Velvet Room door catches his eye. Usually he doesn’t bother with it out in town – it’s gotta look weird, and at least if they’re already in the TV he can explain to everyone else that it’s a Persona thing – but the question of what makes a social link is really starting to bug him, and if anyone can answer it’s probably Igor or Margaret. So he runs the shopping home, tells his ma something came up and he’ll be right back, and runs back down the street.

The funny thing is, when he gets into the extremely blue shop, Igor’s not there – just Margaret. She seems absorbed in the compendium, but then she looks up.

“I’m sorry,” she says, “but as you can see, my master is away at the moment. If your business isn’t urgent—”

“Well, it kinda is,” Kanji says; he knows it’s rude to interrupt, but he really doesn’t want her to boot him out without at least hearing his question. “I don’t need to fuse anything, I just – something’s been buggin’ the crap out of me and I thought you guys could answer.”

“…I see. What is it that’s been troubling you?”

“I just – how do you decide what makes a social link a social link? Like, what the fuck is a hierophant and why’s Sofue-sensei one? What makes Yukiko-senpai any kind of priestess? I know Naoki thinks his is hilarious, but why?”

Much to his surprise, Margaret smiles. “Ah, that is certainly in my wheelhouse to answer. The associations aren’t necessarily literal; they have quite a bit more to do with the aspects of the card they’re connected to. The Priestess, for example, generally signifies passive behavior, and a need to look within yourself for your answers or your hidden potential. I believe your friend is struggling with something along those lines?”

Kanji nods. “Okay, that makes a little more sense now. What about the others?”

Margaret spends a long time explaining the ins and outs of tarot cards to him; he’s even more glad than usual that the Velvet Room only seems to take time out of his day if he’s asleep. Eventually, she winds down, and he actually feels like he understands what’s going on a little better – and then she surprises him again.

“I’ve decided. These strands of fate you are weaving – entangle me within them as well.” She pauses, but it actually makes sense – if anyone could anticipate time stopping for a few seconds, it’d be someone in the Velvet Room. “But since we don’t always have time to chat like this, I propose an alternate solution.”

“Yeah? Like what?”

“As actions shake the heart far more than words, I would like to see what you and your creativity bring to the Wild Card. Fuse me…” Margaret pauses for a while, but this time it just looks like she’s thinking. “Fuse me a Jack Frost that knows Soul Break. When I’ve seen your work, I will set you another challenge.”

“You would go for a cute Persona,” Kanji says, but he can’t bring himself to be upset. “Challenge accepted, Margaret-san, but I think I better head home for now. We’ll talk next time.”

He leaves the Velvet Room to the same midafternoon sun he went in during, and ends up going for a run with Chie-senpai; they talk some, but not about anything major. When he gets home, before he can even think about taking a shower, his phone buzzes.

_AIYA AFTER YOUR CLASSES TOMORROW Y/N PLZ RESPOND_

Kanji blinks a few times, then cracks up. The real mystery’s not how Naoto got his phone number – kid’s a detective, after all – but why Naoto texts like a robot.

_You got it,_ he responds. He’ll let everyone else know after he’s clean and fed, but just knowing the wait for Naoto to get better’s about over is a weight off his shoulders.

**Author's Note:**

> As promised, the current social link count:
> 
> Priestess: Yukiko  
> Empress: Margaret  
> Hierophant: Sofue-sensei  
> Chariot: Chie  
> Fortune: Naoto (not yet started, but will be soon)  
> Hanged Man: Naoki  
> Temperance: Ma Tatsumi  
> Moon: Ai


End file.
